Matthews v. Commissioner of Correction

Lloyd Matthews, an indigent self-represented inmate, appeals from orders entered by single justices of the Appeals Court denying his motions for leave to file handwritten briefs in various civil appeals that he initiated in that court. The issue presented is whether, in denying Matthews’s motions, the single justices abused their discretion. Because we have never before addressed the scope of judicial discretion in these circumstances, we outline here factors that a single justice ought to weigh when considering an indigent self-represented inmate’s motion for leave to file a handwritten…